What
is affordable housing
and who is eligible?

Affordable housing is housing for those who cannot
afford what is readily available on the open market. A house is not affordable if it takes more than
30% of gross income or if the mortgage needed is more than 2.9 times joint income or 3.5 times single
income.

The government's definition of affordable housing is:

Affordable
housing includes social rented and intermediate housing, provided to specified eligible households whose
needs are not met by the market.'

How do I apply for affordable
housing?

You
can apply for affordable housing through Homes4Wiltshire - the partnership of the
council and the
partner Registered Social Landlords. You can apply online at Homes4Wiltshire
or by filling in an application form which is available at Wiltshire Council’s offices.

I
am interested in a specific development, how can I apply for it?

All affordable
developments in Wiltshire are advertised through Homes4Wiltshire. You will
need to register with Homes4Wiltshire in order to bid on a property.

What
tenancies are available?

Social rented housing is defined by the government
as: 'rented housing owned and managed by local authorities and registered social landlords or housing
associations.'

Affordable rents are a form of social housing rents and affordable
rented homes will be made available at up to a maximum of 80% of gross market rent (inclusive of service
charges where applicable) and allocated in the same way as social housing is at present.

Intermediate
affordable housing is: 'housing at prices and rents
above those of social rent, but below market price or rents, and which meet the criteria set out above.
These can include shared equity products e.g. HomeBuy, other low cost homes for sale and intermediate
rent.'

What
is shared ownership?

Shared
ownership is about helping people to get a foot on the property ladder.

Many
housing associations and some house builders offer shared ownership schemes.

Shared
ownership means that you only buy what you can currently afford. It enables people to own their own
home but to just buy a share in their property, rather than having to raise a mortgage for its full
purchase price. You can buy from as little as 25% of the property, or as much as 75%.

Typically,
you may wish to buy a 50% share to start off and pay rent on the unsold share of the property. The housing
association or house builder retain ownership of the other 50% and if you can later afford a larger
mortgage you can buy further shares. Eventually, you could staircase up to full ownership of the
property. If you never reach that stage, you do not have to buy further shares at all; it is up to you.
Provided that you keep up to date with your mortgage and rent payments you continue to live in the property
in exactly the same way as if you owned 100% of the property.

Further
shares will be at full market value of your property at the current time, based on the percentage share
you
are purchasing, and you will have to pay the normal legal and conveyancing fees. At no time will the
remaining shares be sold to someone else.

You can at any time if you want
to,
sell your original share to another qualifying purchaser who has been assessed as being in need of affordable
housing, following the processes set out by the council.

How
do I apply for shared
ownership?

All shared ownership properties in Wiltshire are advertised through
the regional HomeBuy agent, Help
o Buy South, and in most cases will also be advertised on the Homes4Wiltshire
website. To register your interest for any shared ownership homes you will n
ed to register both with Help
to Buy South
and with Homes4Wiltshire.

What is extra
care housing?

Extra care
housing is self-contained
housing for older people who need both support and care to remain able to live independently. It can
provide an alternative to residential care, nursing care, supported living and sheltered housing. It
aims to provide ‘a home for life’ for many people even if their care needs change over time.

Find
out more about extra care housing.

What
is sheltered housing?

Sheltered housing is housing for people aged over 50.
Sheltered housing schemes provide different levels of support, from independent homes with lifeline
services to warden-managed housing schemes.

What
does local connection mean?

Local connection refers to the restrictions that
exist on who may be eligible for some affordable homes, whereby only people with an established connection
to the local area are entitled to obtain affordable housing in that area. This could include a connection
through family members living in the area, or through your employment in the area. Local connection
applies to some affordable housing developments in order to ensure that local people have access to
housing in the area.

What is a section 106 agreement?

Section
106 of the Town and County Planning Act, 1990, relates to monies paid by developers to local planning
authorities in order to offset the costs of the external effects of development. For example, if a developer
were to build 100 new houses, there would be effects on local schools, roads etc., which the local authority
would have to deal with. In that situation there might be a Section 106 agreement as part of the granting
of planning permission. The developer might agree to make a contribution towards the provision of new
schools.

What is housing
need and how is it measured?

Housing
need refers to the local need for affordable housing. Please see our section on housing
needs for more
detail.

Can people living outside of Wiltshire still apply for
affordable housing?

Yes.
Priority is often given to people with a local connection but the housing register is open to those
currently living elsewhere. If you would like to apply for affordable housing, you must register with
Homes4Wiltshire.

Can the developer
opt out of providing
affordable housing?

Developers need to comply with the affordable housing requirements
contained within the planning policies, and will be expected to meet the targets
set for provision of affordable housing. However, in some cases there may be exceptional
circumstances why it is not viable for a developer to deliver the full policy requirement, and
in those circumstances the council will require the developer to provide a full open book assessment
to justify any reduction. This could result in a lower percentage of affordable housing being delivered
on a site, or in the council accepting a commuted sum for affordable housing instead. Any commuted sums
would be used to provide affordable housing elsewhere in Wiltshire and would be subject
to member approval.

How
will you make sure that the homes are truly affordable?

What
is a commuted sum and how are the payments spent?

A commuted sum is a cash
payment made in lieu of the onsite provision of affordable housing. There are limited circumstances
in which commuted sums are appropriate, as defined in the relevant Wiltshire Council planning
policies. Where a commuted sum is agreed upon, it would be used to provide affordable housing
elsewhere in Wiltshire and would be subject to Member approval.

Where
are homes advertised?

All
affordable
housing in Wiltshire is advertised through Homes4Wiltshire. You will need to
register with Homes4Wiltshire in order to bid on a rented
property. If you are interested in shared ownership you will need to register with
Homes4Wiltshire and with Help to Buy South and will
need to check the website of the HomeBuy agent, Help to Buy South, for up to
date details of shared ownership homes for sale.

How
is affordable housing
funded?

Affordable housing is funded in a variety of ways including national
grants managed by the Homes and Community Agency and developer contributions.

What
are exception sites?

Exception sites are sites in small villages which have
not been allocated for development in the Local Plan or Local Development Framework, but which might
be suitable for small schemes of affordable housing for local people.

The granting
of planning permission in exceptions sites is usually dependent on the following:

the
site being close to the development boundary of the village

general local support
for the proposal

evidence of local need

long term mechanisms
to limit occupancy to local people and avoid 'right to buy'

appropriate scale of
development (i.e. small and tailored to needs)

What is
a strategic housing
market assessment (SHMA)?

The strategic housing market assessments are the
evidence bases describing the local need for housing and informing planning policy in a local area.
If you would like more information about the Wiltshire SHMAs, please see our section on housing
need.

How
do I find out about adapting my property?

Sometimes houses need to be adapted
in order to meet particular needs, for example through the provision of access ramps or grab rails.
If you would like to find out about grants that are available to adapt your property, please see our
section on disabled facilities grants.

If you have any
questions about the
development of new housing that are not answered in this FAQ, please contact us and we will be happy
to help.